Programme

River room 2

River room 2

Self care: practice what we preach through relaxation and mindfulness

08:00 to
08:15 vPlenary session

08:00 - 08:15

Relaxation and guided-meditation techniques are a useful aid for all clients, and open them up to safe experiences. In this seemingly-simple 15-minute experiential session, delegates will enjoy its core aims and benefits themselves.

Learning objectives: At the end of this presentation, delegates will be able to:

Learn how to step out of or delay automatic ways of thinking and reacting

Build present moment focus and concentration

Cultivate a more stable and relaxed response to difficulties

Gain clarity and insight into the workings of your mind and body

Be more gentle, non-judgmental, and accepting towards experience

Increase tolerance of negative emotions and discomfort.

Regulate rather than react to changing mood and emotion.

Speaker:

Mary Somerville BA FRSA. NLP practitioner. Mindfulness coaching.

River room 2

Optional 'open' 12-step meetings

08:15 to
09:00

08:15 - 09:00

This confidential but open meeting is for members of 12-step fellowships and for interested professionals who want to learn and experience more of what their clients are doing.

Both the World Health Organisation and UK health watchdog Nice recommend mutual-help groups, particularly the
12-step based ones – and delegates will hear of their benefits in key presentations during the conference. But how do they work? This confidential but open meeting is for members of 12-step fellowships and for interested professionals who want to learn and experience more of what their clients are doing and feel more confident in recommending and understanding the processes.

The meeting will be chaired by a long-term member of 12-step fellowships who is also a qualified therapist.

River room - Main

River room - Main

Welcome

09:15 to
09:30 vPlenary session

09:15 - 09:30

Thank you for joining us and helping people into recovery from addictive behaviours. Recovery from addiction is possible; this symposium demonstrates it in action, and the research behind it.

Speaker:

Deirdre Boyd. Founder, owner ~ DB Recovery Plus. Event organiser.

River room - Main

Welcome to this landmark

09:30 to
09:45

09:30 - 09:45

Helping to nurture recovery from addictive behaviours: transitioning into the mainstream in this landmark area.

Speaker:

Leslie Morgan OBE DL. Deputy Lieutenant ~ Towers Hamlet. "Welcome".

River room - Main

Family experiences of recovery and relapse: The contagious power of recovery

09:45 to
10:15

09:45 - 10:15

David Best's presentation will report on his research: Family Life in Addiction and Recovery, based on the experiences of 1,565 family members from the US and UK.

Family Life in Addiction and Recovery research findings show the power of recovery to transform multiple lives but also the complexity of the recovery process and the residual damage that addiction can cause.

Learning objectives: At the end of this presentation, delegates will be able to:

As a consequence of a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship, Recovery Connections will deliver the UK edition of the Free Hot Coffee bike to the Tate Exchange Programme in June. Preview it here!

River room - Main

Create recovery roast coffee – and use that to engage local communities

10:30 to
11:00

10:30 - 11:00

The presenter will be exhibiting at Tate Modern in June – experience and preview his project on coffee and recovery conversations, and adopt a new way for your addiction-recovery service to reach out and engage your local community

The presenter will be exhibiting at Tate Modern in June – experience and preview his project on coffee and recovery conversations, and adopt a new way for your addiction-recovery service to reach out and engage your local community.

Learning objectives: At the end of this presentation, delegates will be able to:

Provide a project with which to reach out to their local funders and local community

Demonstrate how custom Recovery Roast Coffee's flavour profile is determined by local populations of men and women in long term recovery and their supporters

Work with site-specific, local artisan coffee roasters, to introduces local recovery communities to the rich history and complexities of roasting, tasting and preparation – simultaneously chatting about your recovery service.

Refreshments in Exhibitor room

Have a coffee/tea and cookies, visit exhibitors to see what they can offer, enter free raffle for jewellery and kindles.

A practical demonstration of the Recovery Coffee project will take place in the exhibitor/refreshments room, tables 17-19.

River room - Main

River room - Main

How to create recovery communities that ethically serve the community and attract funding

11:30 to
12:00

11:30 - 12:00

Demonstrate the value of developing recovery communities that ultimately aid long-term recovery while also attracting statutory and private funding – and introduce clients to skills and experiences they might otherwise never have encountered or dreamed of trying.

Speaking from experience, this presentation will also look at rehab collaboratives to get the best client outcomes.

Learning objectives: At the end of this presentation, delegates will be able to:

Describe the value of recovery communities

Understand the steps required to be taken in order to build an effective recovery community

Identify the value of collaboration with statutory and voluntary agencies.

Speaker:

Jason Wyse. CEO ~ Silkworth Charity Group. Recovery communities.

River room - Main

ChemSex: Lifestyle choice or addiction? And how we, as therapists, can help

12:00 to
12:30

12:00 - 12:30

This presentation will outline the growing physical and mental health problems facing those in ChemSex communities and the challenges these present to people who want to help them.

Common objections to the ‘addiction’ label will be explored along with the importance of providing GSRD-affirmative therapy. The question of whether the primary addiction is sex or drugs will also be considered, and a treatment outline provided to minimise client resistance.

Learning objectives: At the end of this presentation, delegates will be able to:

Explain why many ChemSex users are reluctant to engage in addiction services

Identify strategies for providing a ‘sex-positive’ response

Discuss the Choice Recovery Model

Determine the role of psychosexual therapy with sexually addicted clients.

Speaker:

Paula Hall. MBACP (Accred), UKCP Reg, COSRT Acc, ATSAC. ChemSex.

River room - Main

Beyond dual disorders

12:30 to
13:00

12:30 - 13:00

As research and literature have expanded in the psychiatric, psychological and biological sciences, it is time to re-examine dual diagnosis and expand it to include a broader range of considerations and their influence on the treatment of addiction and other psychiatric disorders.

This presentation will weave developmental theory, brain biology, polyvagal theory, family systems, psychodynamic theory, trauma and attachment theory into the Dual Diagnosis paradigm. With case studies, we will apply these to broaden our understanding of our patients, to develop more comprehensive, individualised and effective treatment models.

Learning objectives: At the end of this presentation, delegates will be able to:

Present an overview of polyvagal theory + how it might affect presentation of psychiatric symptoms

River room 2

River room 2

Inviting families to bring about real change, with long-lasting effects

14:00 to
15:30

14:00 - 15:30

The 1st of a series of afternoon indepth workshops on family interventions. Done correctly, such interventions can speed someone with addiction problems into care before they reach 'rock bottom' - and can be successful in 92% of cases.

This lively interactive presentation will debut Collective Intervention Strategies, an invitational process for behavioural health professionals, clinicians and graduate students. From decades of experience, it builds on and advances beyond earlier models from Johnson to invitational.

You will explore through case examples invitations to change outside and inside the treatment milieu focusing on Chronic Pain, Aging/The Silver Tsunami and High Wealth Clients.

This presentation will take participants on a nonlinear evidenced-based journey showing how professionals can shift the conversation so clients move beyond shame, trauma, addiction, chronic pain etc to rise to their best possible selves.

Learning objectives: At the end of this presentation, delegates will be able to:

Demonstrate the power of family mapping and the art and science of portraiture in the intervention process

Share invitational vocabulary as we work with families and their loved ones to reclaim their lives

Demonstrate through case study how CIS strategies can lead to change inside+outside the treatment milieu

Learn the difference between "Reverse and Clinical Interventions” and the power of "Change Agreements".

Speaker:

Louise Stanger. Ed.d, LCSW, CDWF. Family interventions, ethics.

River room - Main

River room - Main

Safeguarding children of parents who divorce through addiction

14:00 to
14:30

14:00 - 14:30

How to: Plan to protect the children involved when divorces are emotionally traumatic, even abusive – such as when addictive behaviours are present. A London divorce lawyer who has handled this for her clients offers practical action plans.

What is the position of recovery in drug policy debates? Why do we need the voice of recovered users in drug policy arena?How does the UN perceive recovery? The chairman of RUN, the Recovered Users Network, answers these questions.

This also serves as an introduction to the next presentation on NGOs, by Peter Vamos of ICAA.

Speaker:

Boro Goic. Chairman - RUN. Recovered Users Network.

River room - Main

NGOs and the recovery movement: the mirror and soul of civil society

14:40 to
15:10

14:40 - 15:10

How to: join or register as a recognised non-governmental organisation, evaluate the benefits, describe the challenges of the past years which influence drug and alcohol policies and implementation today, and participate in future plans.

Learning objectives: At the end of this presentation, delegates will be able to:

trace the evolution of NGOs in the addiction field

identify the challenges and threats they face internationally in various countries

discuss consequences to public health in societies that are intolerant of NGOs

describe some of the unique contributions in the addiction field by NGOs

be capable of registering their organisation as an NGO and/or be linked to an NGO, to make their voice heard.

Speaker:

Peter Vamos. Founder ~ Portage. President ~ ICAA.

River room - Main

Proactively parenting against addiction

15:10 to
15:40

15:10 - 15:40

How to be a 'good enough parent' through life difficulties and crises.

Learning objectives: At the end of this presentation, delegates will be able to:

Share with parents how to identify the early signs of addiction

Discuss what addiction is, and what commonly lies beneath

Offer a framework of practical parenting techniques

Inspire clients to practice better self-care

Demonstrate how to satisfactorily hold the parental boundary in the face of teenage dissent: vital for any parent.

Speaker:

Mandy Saligari MSc MBACP (Reg). Addictions therapist. In therapy.

Refreshments in Exhibitor room

Refreshments in Exhibitor room

Refreshment break

15:40 to
16:00

15:40 - 16:00

Refreshments + Raffle draws-announcement of today's winners. Have a coffee/tea and cookies, visit exhibitors to see what they can offer, enter free raffle for jewellery and kindles.

River room - Main

River room - Main

Alcohol education + prevention to avoid addiction

16:00 to
16:30

16:00 - 16:30

‘Drug or alcohol misuse can have a major impact on young people’s education, their health, their families and their long-term chances in life’ ~ Drug strategy 2010.

Alcohol education and prevention is no panacea - but some rigorous, efficient programmes can help reduce addictions and, in secondary prevention, help at-risk drinkers moderate their drinking habits.

With case studies, this presentation will present the Canadian approach as implemented by Éduc’alcool.

Learning objectives: At the end of this presentation, delegates will be able to:

Understand the basic principle of efficient prevention programmes

Discuss how they can benefit from alcohol education

Discuss how they can relate to prevention and education organisations that work hard to avoid a future where 'clients' will be in need of recovery organisations.

Speaker:

Hubert Sacy CM CQ. DG ~ Éduc'alcool Treasurer ~ ICAA. Prevention.

River room 2

River room 2

Why many interventions fail - and how to succeed, even with younger clients

16:00 to
17:30

16:00 - 17:30

The 2nd in the series of afternoon indepth workshops on family interventions. Done correctly, such interventions can speed someone with addiction problems into care before they reach 'rock bottom' - and can be successful in 92% of cases.

How to: Dispel the unfortunate myth that addicts must hit rock bottom – instead pull them out of a negative and potentially life-threatening situation. The sooner someone gets help, the more likely they will have a full, healthy and productive life. This presentation explains why, so many times, efforts to help get someone suffering from addiction into treatment are doomed to failure - then guides delegates on how to avoid these common traps.

Learning objectives: At the end of this presentation, delegates will be able to:

Develop and demonstrate powerful empathy skills using the Five Secrets of Effective Communication

Understand and explain the vital importance of Outcome and Process Resistance

Describe how to melt resistance using Paradoxical Agenda Setting before offering methods to change.

Speaker:

Stephen Pfleiderer. Founder ~ SF Interventions. Family interventions.

River room - Main

River room - Main

ACEs high and recovery

16:30 to
17:00

16:30 - 17:00

Explore the impact of 'Adverse Childhood Experiences' and addiction and how these unresolved traumas effect the recovering addict. Acquire information delivered from an evidence-based and a personal viewpoint.

Learning objectives: At the end of this presentation, delegates will be able to:

Explain why resolving Adverse Childhood Experiences is a priority in the recovery process

Identify coping mechanisms that are a result of negative experiences

Witness a demonstration of how to use the technique known as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to deal with negative emotions: Reduce cravings, Reduce fears, Reduce stress levels.

"These are the techniques that were used to resolve my own ACEs and where I experienced real freedom. EFT has been a major part of this process and I hope to continue paying it forward," Tacey says.

River room - Main

Treatment of drug & alcohol use disorders, and the role of definitions

17:00 to
17:30

17:00 - 17:30

How to: Identify a coordinated, integrated system of treatment as the UK and Europe, as well as the US and elsewhere, face increasingly diverse and complex drug/alcohol problems, with variations between countries in trends and treatment services.

Speaker:

Annette Dale-Perera. ACMD, UNODC, EMCDDA. Treatment definitions.

We make all endeavours to maintain accuracy ~ but, due to life, changes might occur.